My Personal Thoughts on the YAXI stPad-DX for mdr-cd900st

Unboxing

Item Arrived in pristine condition after 4 days in transit via JP post

Front Packaging

Back Packaging
Honestly didn't expect to see the DT250 on there

First Impressions

Disclaimer: All personal impressions below are compared to rather new (3 months old) stock cd900st pads. Your mileage may vary as a result of fit, physical ear canal differences, and personal preference.

• The Yaxi Pads are much more comfortable as they fully encapsulate my ears with decently thick foam padding. The thin stack pads do not provide adequate padding so the drivers rest directly on my ear cartilage, causing moderate discomfort if worn for long periods.
• Solves the midbass hump to a certain extent (I wonder how they managed that? Usually a better seal increases perceived bass response across the spectrum but it seems to be not entirely the case here.)
• Much better low-frequency extension as a result of the better seal.
• Much better sound insulation as a result of the better seal.
• The pads are much thicker, and the drivers sit physically further away from the ears. As a result, although the vocals are a little bit further away, and the harmonic overtones are ever so slightly diminished, imaging and physical separation are much improved over the stock pads.

If one can accept the minor trade-offs in sound, the much improved comfort of the Yaxi alone in my opinion is worth the exchange even considering the slight uptick in MSRP. 

(2360yen for the stock pads and 3750yen for the Yaxi Stpads.

[pricing as of Nov 27th,2023 via https://www.soundhouse.co.jp/en/])

Shot on Pixel 6 pro

My Conclusion

With an overall huge positive improvement over the stock pads, and with a very reasonable price tag of 3750 yen, the Yaxi stPad is highly recommended for any cd900st user.

Product Page

YAXI stPadイヤーパッド (mdr-cd900st用)